


Bountiful

by clevercat



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Flirting, Bar Room Brawl, Bars and Pubs, Ben is a bounty hunter, F/M, Rey is Robin Hood (kind of)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27866278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clevercat/pseuds/clevercat
Summary: Were you watching me?”Ben turned to study her for a moment before replying. “When was I watching you?”“Earlier – I was playing sabacc. And you didn't answer my question. You were watching me, weren't you?”“Yes.”“Why?”“Because I was waiting for you.”*What if instead of Jedi, Ben had become a bounty hunter and Rey had become a thief? And what if Ben's new target was Rey?
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	Bountiful

**Author's Note:**

> This idea popped into my head one day, and it just wouldn't go away - so I decided to write it down! There's brief mentions of violence near the end but it's pretty mild I think. Kudos, comments, and thoughts greatly appreciated!
> 
> ~Enjoy~

Ben Solo was not a patient man.

To an outside observer, his posture seemed relaxed, long legs stretched out under the bar stool. Every once in awhile he would run a hand through his raven hair or flit his dark eyes to casually glance across the bar. The only indication his demeanor was a farce the tension in his jaw, lips stretched taut in a line across his face. Ben was on a mission and he needed to carry it out as soon as possible. There was a commission to be made.

However – his target wasn't making that easy.

He recognized her right away of course. He had been carrying the holo around for weeks now, committing to memory the details about her: height (average), weight (she was tiny), eye color (pale greenish-brown), hair color (chestnut), her last known location (a planet in the Western Regions called Ogem). Ben told himself he had picked this bounty because it had seemed easy – so much information had been collected about her it was almost too simple to track her down. She wasn't exactly hiding.

There had been a picture included with the files. He pretended not to think about that being the real reason he had ultimately decided to take this mission – that he had seen something in her hazel eyes, something haunted that had echoed in his own soul. He had grasped the holo without thinking and taken off in his ship almost immediately in search of her.

After all, he was a bounty hunter, and there was money to be had in capturing such a high priority fugitive.

She was sitting at a table in the corner playing sabacc. Her slender frame was leaning over the tabletop, her elbows resting on the top and her head cradled in her palms. She seemed almost serene while she waited her turn, eerily calm. But Ben knew better. Her gaze was too sharp, her eyes watching her opponent's moves carefully. She was waiting for an opening, an opportunity to strike.

Ben couldn't deny that he admired her skill at deception.

He tasted his Corellian whiskey and continued watching over the rim of the glass. The game was coming to an end – he had been watching long enough to know that most of them were running low on funds and they wouldn't last much longer. The only person who seemed to be content with continuing the game was _her._ She shifted her legs under the table and placed a hand on the knee of the Pantoran sitting directly to her right. When he realized her hand was on his knee he looked at her startled, his eyes going wide in disbelief. She continued staring at the table calmly, a slight quirk of her lips the only indication that she knew his reaction was because of her.

Ben narrowed his eyes in their direction. Oh, she was _good._

A few minutes later, her table mates seemed to unanimously decide to throw in the proverbial towel – they all stood up at once and began quietly muttering among themselves. She didn't move to get up, just smiled and continued the conversation from her seated position. The Pantoran also remained seated, still with her hand on his knee. She began idly moving her fingers along his leg, and his eyes widened even further. Her features betrayed nothing at all.

Ben gritted his teeth from his position at the bar. Unbidden, a thought came to mind, that he wished her hand was anywhere else but on the other man's leg. In fact, his leg instead would be ideal, or -

_The commission,_ Ben thought determinedly to himself. _Remember the commission. That's what you're here for._

While Ben had been preoccupied with his thoughts, the participants of the game had gone their separate ways, and the woman and her hand on the Pantoran's knee remained. She had leaned closer to him, faking interest in what he was saying as he spoke animatedly. She moved her hand further up his leg, idly stroking up his thigh, up and down, up and down. She moved her head closer to his ear to whisper, and as she did so her hand swiftly moved to the side of his coat and then quickly moved back to his thigh to continue her movements. If Ben hadn't been watching he might have missed it, but he had been looking for it. She giggled softly at something the man said, placing her other hand close to his on the table.

Ben looked away, taking a sip from his glass. There was nothing more to see in their interaction, he told himself. He was just waiting for an opening now.

She stood up abruptly, a look of feigned realization overtaking her face, as if only just noticing the time. He tried to pull her back by the wrist, and suddenly her face changed completely – hardening and turning feral. She hissed something in his face and he backed off immediately as if scalded by the heat of her stare.

Ben smirked into his drink. She was definitely tougher than she appeared on the surface.

She stalked off in a huff, heading off presumably to the dingy bathrooms in the back. The man stood up, brushing himself off haughtily before turning and walking towards the exit.

_Good riddance,_ Ben thought to himself.

He downed the rest of the whiskey and waved the bartender over for another. While he waited, he scanned the bar for signs anyone had followed him here. Despite the fact that he had claimed this particular mark, that didn't necessarily stop bounty hunters from attempting to steal the girl and the reward for themselves. No one stood out as suspicious in the bar, and Ben deemed that sufficient for now.

He turned back as the bartender pushed a new drink toward him. As he drank he sensed movement in his periphery and saw her coming back from the dark corner she had retreated to, heading straight toward the bar where he was seated.

_Perfect,_ Ben thought to himself as he smiled into his glass.

She took the open bar stool next to him and motioned to the bartender. She seemed contemplative – no, that wasn't the right word. Searching. She seemed to be searching her thoughts, or maybe trying to read the others in the bar. Her thoughts were hidden from him, which he had expected. He had read her file after all, and Ben knew what she was capable of. She just didn't know his abilities matched her own.

It was an interesting skill, to be able to read others. Ben had always been good at it, even as a child. It wasn't until he was much older that he learned it wasn't just a skill, but a gift - sometimes even a weapon. It wasn't widely known among his contacts or his colleagues that he was able to use the Force. It was a secret he kept close, only revealing the truth to those he absolutely trusted. And there weren't many people Ben trusted with absolute certainty.

A brush against his leg pulled him from his thoughts. He looked down and noticed her foot was resting on the bottom of his stool. He looked at her pointedly, but she didn't seem to have noticed her leg had wandered.

“You lost?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but it came out sounding more accusatory than he intended.

“Excuse me?” she turned her head toward him as she put her glass down, looking slightly shocked.

“Your foot...it's on my stool. I assumed it was lost.” He quirked an eyebrow at her.

“Well there's not a lot of room between these stools, forgive me for invading your personal space,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes as she sipped at her drink. Something blue Ben didn't know the name of. She was quiet for a moment more before asking, “Were you watching me?”

Ben turned to study her for a moment before replying. “When was I watching you?”

“Earlier – I was playing sabacc. And you didn't answer my question. You were watching me, weren't you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I was waiting for you.”

She doesn't say anything else for a long moment. He can feel her trying to read him, but he has his shields up and she can't probe inside his mind. A look of astonishment crosses her face before quickly fading and changing to a look of suspicion. Ah, there it is – she doesn't trust him, as she very well should not. He continues looking at her as she assesses him, trying to ascertain his intentions.

“Do I know you? I don't think I've seen you around here before.” She attempts to appear indifferent as she speaks, but Ben can tell by her posture that she has tensed up, ready to flee. She is used to running, so he maintains an air of calm so he doesn't scare her off.

“No, you don't know me...but I know you.”

She turns to look past him for a moment thinking carefully about her next words, perhaps looking at her escape options. He can tell the moment she has figured out who he is and what he's here for. She sits up straighter and turns fully towards him.

“I see – you're a bounty hunter then. Come to collect your prize.” she sneers. She seems to be mocking him, and this annoys Ben more than anything else she's done so far. “I've had many attempt to kidnap me in the past and fail, so what makes you think you'll fair any better?”

Ben raises an eyebrow at her – she should know since she had tried unsuccessfully to probe his mind earlier, but he decides to play along. “Well for one thing, I have a unique gift. A power, if you will. Very rare, in fact – and I know you have been able to slip away in the past because you also have the gift.”

“And what is that exactly?” He can tell she is, at least partially, genuinely curious about his answer – perhaps she doesn't even know the name of what it is she can so strongly control. He feels a twinge of sympathy, but quickly quells it. He doesn't need to be distracted by sentiment, especially not for a bounty.

“It's called the Force – it's what binds all things together. It flows through all things, in the space between life and death. Some are stronger than others in their ability to feel and control it. I am one of them, as are you. But I take it no one has ever told you what it is. I'd guess no one you've met has ever known about your ability before me.”

She stares at him in wonder, and he feels another twinge of...something. Like he is being pulled toward her. Like he wants to tell her more, tell her everything. He tries to stop himself, but his hand moves of its own accord and suddenly with a flick of his wrist her now empty glass floats into the air effortlessly. She stares at it, mesmerized, before snatching it back with a scowl. He's disappointed that the look of wonder on her face is now gone.

“It doesn't matter what anyone has told me,” she says, trying to regain her suspicious demeanor. “Perhaps I didn't need anyone to teach me anything. I've been perfectly fine on my own.”

“Regardless, you must have wanted to know what made you so different, so...talented.”

“ And? Do you?” she gives him a challenging look, and suddenly it feels like all the breathe has been sucked out of his lungs. It takes him a moment to get his bearings and he tries to focus again on her question.

“I do. In fact, I know everything about you.”

“Alright, so tell me what you know about me.” She flags the barkeep down to refill their glasses. Ben gives her an amused glance before she shrugs her shoulders at him. He can tell that she is eager to hear what he knows about her, what he can tell her about her past.

The barkeep sets their drinks down in front of them and Ben takes a moment to savor it before he begins. “Your name is Rey – no record of a last name, as far as I can tell. Just Rey. You were raised on Jakku, although there is information suggesting you weren't born there. You became an orphan at a young age and grew up in the desert, becoming a scavenger selling parts to Unkar Plutt. Eventually you decided to leave and become a thief, but not just any thief – you steal from the rich, take what you need and give the rest to the poor. Although it seems that gentleman you stole from earlier wasn't particularly wealthy, but we can't choose who decides to play sabacc I suppose... your parents were no one, so the origin of your ability seems like a stroke of good fortune more than anything. How am I doing?”

Rey stares at him for a moment, before throwing her head back in laughter. He can't help but watch the column of her neck, the bobbing of her throat as bursts of mirth emerge from her. He's captivated.

When her laughter finally subsides, she's looking at him with gleeful tears in her eyes. “Is that all the intelligence you were able to gather about me? I will say it's more than the previous ones could manage to find out, so I'll give you that.”

He blinks at her in confusion before collecting himself. “Am I missing something?”

She snorts indelicately before saying, “Only everything that matters. First of all, I prefer to go by 'Rey of Jakku', it has a nice ring to it, but you can call me 'just Rey' if it suits you. Secondly, I didn't sell parts to Unkar Plutt, he was a junker I worked for, a dirty one at that. Used to try to underpay me for work, but I eventually made sure he gave me what I was due.” She pauses at that, and Ben isn't sure he wants to know what she did to 'make him' do what she demanded. “Thirdly, and most importantly, I don't 'steal from the rich and give to the poor', as you so eloquently put it. I steal from the undeserving, criminals and killers. People who couldn't care less about anyone else – although I suppose you are correct about taking what I need. Have to support my efforts somehow.”

He scoffs at her use of the word criminal but otherwise stays silent, thinking over her response. Her rationale isn't completely unreasonable, but it's not what Ben would do. He's too selfish for that, he thinks, as he looks her over.

“What?” she demands.

“I didn't say anything.”

“You didn't have to. You're...assessing.” She seems nervous now, fidgeting in her stool, and he feels a rush of pride at being able to get under her skin, even slightly.

“Ben.”

“Excuse me?”

“My name. It's...Ben.”

She quirks an eyebrow at him. “Ok...Ben. Bounty hunters aren't normally in the business of introducing themselves.”

“I was being polite.”

She snorts into her glass. “You don't seem like the polite type, Ben.”

“I'm not.”

“But now you are, to me.” It's a statement, not a question.

Ben just shrugs. Rey sighs.

“You're very confusing, Ben The Bounty Hunter.”

“I've been told before, yes.”

“Friends?”

He smiles. “No, family.”

She tilts her head to the side, studying him for a long moment. “I wouldn't know what that's like,” she finally says. She doesn't seem sad exactly, but he can tell what he said struck some kind of emotion in her that he can't describe.

“In recent memory I wouldn't know either. Haven't seen them for some time now.”

“Why not?” She asks. Ben hesitates – he didn't intend to tell her these details of his life, to strike up such a personal conversation. But he can't help it when she's looking at him with curiosity and sympathy. Taking a genuine interest in his answer.

“I left – at a young age. Growing up with them was...difficult. Arguments, fights. The first chance I had to leave I did. I stayed away, talked to them a handful of times over the years but I've never gone back. They wouldn't approve of this life I chose anyway, so I figured it's easier to never go back than to disappoint them.” He stares at the top of the bar while he tells this story, finding it suddenly too hard to look her in the eye while he tells his pathetic tale. She would probably be angry with him – compared to her life, his doesn't seem nearly as awful. He had never felt that way until this moment, telling this stranger about his past. It oddly doesn't feel like they've only just met.

He feels a hand come to rest over top his on the bar, and he looks up to see her watching him. She has a gentleness about her expression he wasn't expecting, and he's mesmerized by the halo of golden brown around the irises of her eyes. She squeezes his hand, and he doesn't squeeze back. But he doesn't look away either.

A banging from the other side of the bar interrupts them, and Rey abruptly pulls her hand away. Ben only has a moment to mourn the loss of her warmth before he notices the Pantoran man from the sabacc game earlier standing at the entrance to the bar, glaring right at Rey. Her eyes widen slightly before she feigns innocence.

“You!” He shouts.

Rey doesn't respond, just continues to stare at him.

“I was talking to you, girl!” The Pantoran shouts at Rey, and Ben clenches his fist on the bar at the man's use of the word 'girl'. He sits rigid in his stool, trying desperately to remind himself not to get involved.

Rey barely reacts, but she does turn in her seat to fully face him before saying sweetly, “Back already for another game?”

The man huffs, like he can't believe the nerve of her. Ben almost can't either.

“You _insolent-”_ he stops short, realizing they have an audience at the bar and not wanting to draw attention to the situation unfolding. Too late. He approaches Rey, and Ben notices Rey's hand closer to the bar subtly move down her leg, presumably where she has a weapon hidden.

“You know what you did,” the Pantoran continues in a quieter voice, but no less angry. “You _stole_ from me. I want it back.”

“I don't know at _all_ what you mean,” Rey says, so obviously sarcastic Ben would laugh if he wasn't so tense. The Pantoran lets out a quiet annoyed sound, before reaching down to his belt. Ben moves so fast he surprises himself, clutching the man's wrist and dragging him close to his face.

“No need to be hasty,” he says menacingly, and the Pantoran's face is contorted in a look of combined shock and fury.

“ _Ben!”_ Rey hisses close to Ben's ear. She sounds angry, and he smirks at her indignance.

“Let me take care of him, sweetheart. I'm itching for a fight.” Ben says, and Rey makes a noise of frustration. He can see her eye roll in his mind's eye even if he isn't looking directly at her face at the moment.

“I can take care of this myself!” she says vehemently. “And don't call me that!”

“What?”

“That...word. _Sweetheart.”_

“It suits you.”

“It really doesn't.”

Ben and Rey are so engrossed in each other, they don't notice the man's hand inching down towards his belt. In one swift move he pushes forcefully on Ben's chest and pulls a knife from his waist. Ben staggers back surprised by the sudden movement but recovers quickly, pulling a dagger from his own belt along with a blaster and aiming it at the man. He reaches behind him, trying to keep Rey protected behind him, but Rey shoves past him to stand at his side.

“Please, I said I can take care of myself, thanks. I don't need you to protect me,” she says.

“Suit yourself,” Ben replies before assuming a defensive posture with his dagger raised and blaster pointed at the Pantoran.

The next few minutes are chaos. The Pantoran attempts a strike first, knife trained on Rey, the original source of his ire, but she pulls a staff out from behind her back and parries his slash with ferocity. Ben breifly thinks it is curious he didn't notice the staff strapped to her back sooner. Meanwhile, the rest of the bar erupts in a flurry of chairs flying and tables turning over as the rest of the bar's occupants come blow to blow in an all out brawl. Ben fends them off, keeping a circle around Rey as she spars with her opponent. He doesn't feel the need to get involved since, he begrudgingly admits, she seems to be right – she can definitely defend herself. The Pantoran has strength, but Rey obviously has speed and skill. The Pantoran attempts to grab her arm and twist the staff from her grasp, but she is too quick for him and her reach with the weapon is vast in comparison. She ducks his attack with ease and sweeps his legs out from under him with her staff, before clocking him across the head with it. It knocks him out immediately.

Rey straightens up, and she strides toward where Ben is standing on top of a table flanked by two men. One of them he disarms with his blaster, but the other guy is bigger and pulls Ben down by the neck. He has his hands wrapped around Ben's throat, and Ben struggles to loosen his grip, but suddenly he sees Rey jump on the man's back, pounding at his head furiously. The man lets go, occupied now by the woman latched onto him. Ben stares, utterly transfixed by her. Rey is ferocious – and magnificent to behold. Her hair has sprung free from her buns and her face is pink with exertion. She is determined to fell her opponent.

She manages to get her hands around the man's neck and he falls to his knees, trying to pull her off in the process. Rey pushes on his back with her knees and the man groans before falling forward, unconscious. There is still a frenzy of fighting all around them. As Rey stands, chest heaving, her eyes slowly survey her surroundings before coming to rest on Ben's. She blinks at him. Ben blinks back at her, breathing heavily. He doesn't know what his face looks like, but whatever his expression is she seems pleased by it. She smiles at him softly. The world around them fades away – it's just the two of them, standing there smiling at each other from a few feet apart.

Finally, she cocks an eyebrow at him flirtatiously and says, “So, I'm assuming you have a ship around here?”

Ben stares for a minute, before responding, “Y-yes. It's not far.”

She places a hand on her hip and says, “Well? Lead the way.”

Ben doesn't move, processing what she said in stunned silence. “What? You're...you're coming with me? Willingly?”

Rey saunters up to him, and presses herself up against him. He makes a strangled sound in his throat, too distracted by the heat of her body to form coherent words. She's looking up at him with a knowing smile. He realizes suddenly that she trusts him, somehow. His stomach swoops at the revelation.

It takes her a moment to respond, before she says, “If being around you is always this much fun, I would go with you anywhere, Ben. Besides, I know you're not going to turn me in now. You're an accessory to my crimes. You would have to turn yourself in too.”

He can do nothing but nod mutely at her, because of course he's not going to turn her in now. Ben can't hold himself back any longer – he bends his head to meet his lips with hers. She kisses him back immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself further into him. He cradles her head in his hands, feeling her tongue sweep along his bottom lip. He meets her kiss with his, a duel of mouths and tongues and lips until he pulls away gasping for breath, still holding her face in his hands. He rests his forehead against hers as he tries to regain his composure.

“I think I might be gone for you, sweetheart,” he finally says, not even caring how desperate he sounds.

“I know,” she answers teasingly, and he expects her to chastise him again for the pet name. But when he opens his eyes to look at her she is smiling tenderly and doesn't comment on it.

They stay like that for a moment more before Ben spies movement in his periphery and pulls her down to duck as a chair comes flying at their heads. The fighting has continued on without them even noticing.

“I think that's our cue to go,” Ben says firmly, and he reaches down to grab her hand in his.

She smiles up at him as she tugs him towards the door. “Let's go.”

As they narrowly avoid the bar patrons' continued brawling to make it to the door, Ben is only aware of her hand in his and the sway of her hips walking in front of him as she leads him to the exit. He knows he's not going to turn her in for the bounty – he wonders if perhaps he had made that decision from the moment he met her. She had said she would go anywhere with him – and Ben would do anything to have her at his side.

He follows her out of the bar, and into the unknown.


End file.
